Bastrop County fire 70% contained; 64 structures lost; power restored

5:20 p.m. update: “We had another good day in certain aspects,” Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape said as he announced that firefighters had contained about 70 percent of the Hidden Pines fire near Smithville that has burned 4,582 acres.

The size of the fire did not grow at all Monday, but Pape said 14 more “home-like” structures were lost, bringing the total number of structures destroyed to 64.

Bluebonnet Electric Co-op General Manager Mark Rose also announced that power has been restored to all areas affected by the fire, but he asked residents to continue to report outages. Rose also noted that 1,313 trees have been marked for removal.

Meanwhile, Pape said authorities are still discussing re-entry plans for the burned areas and declined to offer specifics until a news briefing on Tuesday.

Smithville City Manager Robert Tamble said the Smithville Recreation Center has fulfilled its purpose as an emergency shelter. He said 445 people have registered with the shelter, which will open its doors again on Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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10:45 a.m. update: The size of the Hidden Pines fire near Smithville remains steady at 4,582 acres burned, but firefighters have contained about 70 percent of the blaze, Bastrop County officials said.

Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative General Manager Mark Rose said all power will be restored by 4 p.m. to all of the areas affected by the fire. The utility has 166 crew members in the fire zone, Rose said.

But Rose warned that electricity restoration will not determine when residents can return to their homes. For many residents, he said, they will see more than 1,000 trees tagged to be cut down.

County Judge Paul Pape said 423 people have registered with emergency shelters and the team handling long-term recovery efforts.

Officials expect to release an updated structure loss list before the daily public meeting held for residents at the Smithville Recreation Center, Pape said.

Steve Pollock of the Texas A&M Forest Service said about 270 resources are on the fire line.

Officials also announced that Buescher State Park is closed and those entering the park without permission would be breaking the law.

Earlier: The Hidden Pines Fire continued to rage Monday, as firefighters kept the blaze 60 percent contained Sunday after it destroyed 50 homes and seven businesses.

About 250 firefighters were assisted by seven aircraft dumping thousands of gallons of water and fire retardant, but Bastrop County officials said conditions had stalled further containment by the evening.

During a news conference Sunday morning, Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape said he was “cautiously optimistic” that crews could tamp down the flames further, but the fire’s footprint remained at more than 7 square miles through the day.

Over the weekend, Pape asked that citizens be patient going forward.

“Just be patient with us,” he said. “Patience is the watchword of the day. This is the toughest part of recovering from a natural disaster.”